February 16, 2017
Whanau respond to rheumatic fever campaign
The change in weather has come just as health professionals step up their efforts to warn whanau of the risks of rheumatic fever.
They’re on the lookout for strep throat the infection that can lead to the fever and with it a lifetime of health problems.
Dr Lily Fraser from Turuki Healthcare says it’s relatively easy to treat but in recent years many cases slipped through the net because doctors didn’t want to medicate children with coughs and colds which don’t respond to antibiotics.
That’s changing because of the awareness campaigns.
"Previously people would just come in and tell me their symptoms and now they come in and the first thing they say is I have a sore throat and I'm here for my throat swab and my antibiotics because I don't want to get Rheumatic Fever and that conversation is happening in the community and in schools amongst whanau and it's been a really cool thing to see", says Dr Fraser.
In the last financial year there were 37 cases of rheumatic fever in the Counties Manukau DHB area, 19 in the Auckland DHB and 12 in Waitemata.
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